Confidence in the safety record of international air travel remains high predicated on strong regulation and a well-developed safety culture. Scrutiny and transparency correlate with positive outcomes for travellers. Accordingly, less regulation, scrutiny and transparency may contribute to lower standards and poorer traveller outcomes, as is sometimes seen in respect of internal air flights in some countries. This contention also applies to third-party providers of ground transport for business travellers where regulation is often absent.

In most travel risk management assessments we conduct, travel and security risk managers are concerned about ground transportation because of the number incidents and the absence of regulation, particularly in new and emerging business locations. So, what amounts to reasonable due diligence in those circumstances?

There are three broad approaches to discharging the employer’s duty of care in respect of safe and secure ground conveyance of business travellers:

  • Where ground transport providers claim that their operations are safe (and which do not?), reviewing the evidence upon which they make their claim.

This can involve a lot of detail and be time-consuming especially where ground providers do not documented system, but it is the most direct method of establishing reality above rhetoric, provided the inquirer knows what to look for.

  • To commission a suitably qualified and independent (of the ground transportation provider) party to assess the safety and security arrangements of a ground transport provider on behalf of the business traveller’s employer.

As we know, duty of care can never be derogated by the employer, but expert input to choices is undoubtedly a benefit. The issue is finding suitable experts whose approach is both rigorous, practical and cost-effective.

  • The third approach is linked to the employer’s risk-appetite. This is a trial-and-error method whereby over time the absence of reported incident involving the business traveller and the ground transport provider becomes the basis for continuing use.

Supported by such procurement due diligence and peer recommendation or local ‘soundings’ as is possible, this is a practical approach that many choose to adopt, until an incident arises prompting a review.

Irrespective of the method adopted, the basis upon which duty of care considerations should be assessed include the following:

  • Operators of ground transport are fit and proper persons for the role – Amongst the 18 standards we consider are that identities are verified, criminal records checked, unauthorised driver substitution is effectively managed, and a professional code of conduct is followed by ground transportation staff.
  • Vehicles used for ground transport are safe and suitable for their intended use – Amongst the 11 standards we consider are that daily/regular vehicle safety checks are conducted and logged, ‘manner of driving’ technology is fitted and operating, emergency fire safety and passenger extrication equipment is fitted.
  • Organisations providing ground transportation have suitable policies and strategy to ensure the safety and security of travellers – Amongst the 14 standards we consider are that employee contracts require relevant changes of circumstances to be notified to the provider; a meaningful complaints procedure is followed; and a whistleblowing system is in place.

Ground transportation arrangements are just as important as other aspects of travel risk management but, regrettably, are not yet afforded the same scrutiny as other hazardous aspects of business travel. The incidence and harms involved require a step-up in response, as the following recent cases attest:

Barbados taxi catches fire whilst carrying tourists, 2025 – Footage shows the moment the taxi burst into flames while the passengers were still inside. Details about injuries are limited.

Mauritius taxi carrying tourists crashes into lorry, 2024 – Two travellers in a taxi on the way to catch their departure flight from the airport in Mauritius crashed head on at 80 kmph into a lorry parked in the middle of the road.

Cyprus taxi driver gets 10-year sentence for raping tourist in Ayia Napa, 2024 – Instead of driving her to the airport, the driver took her to a coastal area where he sexually assaulted her.

Hong Kong taxi driver convicted of molesting Malaysian tourist, 2024 –a driver pleaded guilty to a count of indecent assault of a tourist who boarded his taxi in the early hours of the morning. The driver is said to have taken advantage of the passenger’s inebriated state.